Zac Posen Resort 2017 Collection

Cascades of Chantilly lace and sleek, lavish materials overwhelm the newest Zac Posen resort 2017 collection with a high dose of sensuality, mystery and creativity. To perfectly recreate the sultry, modern and self-confident atmosphere he aimed at reviving, Posen drew inspiration from two of the most creative, revolutionary artists of the XIX/XX century: Sonia Delaunay and Emilie Louise Fl‚Äö√†√∂‚Äö√†√áge. Both the women took the fashion industry by storm, and contributed to changing the way we treat this eclectic form of art like never before.

Ukrainian-born French multidisciplinary abstract artist and designer Sonia Delaunay was an important person in the Parisian avant-garde époque, and is mainly known for her graphic prints and geometrically cut coats, which quickly became a must-have in the first decades of the XX century. She could be regarded as an ante litteram pop artists, who transferred this form of art into fashion.

Likewise, Posen injected Delaunay’s notorious abstract lines and graphic patterns into his resort 2017 collection, interrupting the sinuous and pompous proposals he designed with more architectural motifs, while being inspired by Gustav Klimt’s lifelong companion Emilie Louise Fl‚Äö√†√∂‚Äö√†√áge.

Fashion designer Emilie Louise Fl‚Äö√†√∂‚Äö√†√áge tore through the world of fashion like a whirlwind too, making it easy to understand why Klimt chose her not only as his eternal partner, but as his ‚Äö√Ñ√∂‚àö√ë‚àö‚â§golden’ muse as well. Bohemian at both heart and spirit, she opened an haute couture fashion salon on one of the greatest Viennese thoroughfares, becoming a highly successful businesswoman in the blink of an eye. Her signature style? Oversized, billowy dresses embellished with different kinds of fabrics, prints and adornments. Dressing up in one of Fl‚Äö√†√∂‚Äö√†√áge’s creations was never boring.

Like Fl‚Äö√†√∂‚Äö√†√áge’s designs, Posen’s latest creations are never boring, and perfectly combine both Delaunay’s avant-garde views on fashion with Fl‚Äö√†√∂‚Äö√†√áge’s bohemian style. To further enjoy the artistic wave he got overwhelmed by sensual mermaid dresses he completed the collection with, which could be linked to Klim’s erotic, detailed and symbolist paintings.

Aside from the final pieces, the collection is mainly dark-colored, a choice that definitely helps accentuate the Delaunay-inspired geometric patterns. Experiments with textures inevitably remind of Fl‚Äö√†√∂‚Äö√†√áge, while also manage to bring organza, patchwork, jacquard and mesh materials to the scene through a number of dresses. Such a choice also helped enhance Posen’s artisanal skills when it comes to layers, which dynamically interrupt not only the sensual Klimt-inspired pieces, but also offer us different, more form-fitting alternatives, unlike the line-up’s oversized proposals.

Rounded hems got juxtaposed with either wrapped or sculptured cuts, eventually treating us to a lightweight billowy gray evening dress and a yellow floral print gown that both are just a mixture all of the collection’s main themes.

It is also interesting to notice how deeply he immersed into Central Europe in the early Twenties and Thirties by drawing inspiration from Wiener Werkst‚Äö√†√∂¬¨√ütte too that was one of Austria’s most productive and influential production communities of visual artists of all time. Needless to say, these designs focused on graphic prints and geometric patterns too.

With a strong passion for foreign cultures, contemporary art and fashion, Virginia is an enthusiastic editor and translator. When she is not writing, she likes to read books and eat chocolate (at the same time). She also likes to take too many pictures and collect too many comics.